Ellen DeGeneres staffers fear the ‘show will be canceled’- but executive producer insists ‘nobody is going off the air’
STAFFERS at The Ellen DeGeneres Show are "freaking out" that the "show will be canceled" in the wake of "toxic work culture" claims, but executive producer Andy Lassner says that's not the case.
The executive producer, 53, headed to recently and shared a meme that got people talking.
He wrote: “Me: I really think 2020 is gonna turn around and start getting better. 2020: Lol, I’m gonna make your bed the epicenter.”
One fan then responded: "I seriously wish you well. If the Ellen show goes off the air due to all these allegations (I, personally, have stopped watching), I hope you find employment quickly.”
However, Andy replied: “Nobody is going off the air."
All this comes after new reports revealed workers now believe that the long-running daytime series could meet its end in light of new sexual misconduct allegations.
An Insider told: "Staffers are texting and calling each other freaking out as they fear Ellen [DeGeneres] will quit or that the show will be canceled.
"The show feels done. It’s going to be very hard to turn this around."
The latest reports come after months of accusations that the Finding Dory star is “mean” and "enabled ."
After the , the comedian reportedly .
An insider revealed to that the longtime host is ready to “shut down the show” after many employees have come forward in the last few weeks claiming the work culture there is “toxic.”
The Telepictures source said: "She feels she can’t go on and the only way to recover her personal brand from this is to shut down the show.
"The truth is she knew what was going on, it’s her show.
"The buck stops with her. She can blame every executive under the sun – but Ellen is ultimately the one to blame."
Yesterday, former staffers alleged that senior executives who work behind the scenes "groped" and "kissed" employees - and solicited one of them for oral sex.
claimed they spoke with a total of 36 staffers about their experiences on set.
One ex-employee alleged Kevin Leman, the show’s head writer and executive producer, solicited him for oral sex at a company party in 2013.
Others claim they saw Leman grope and kiss employees, while nearly a dozen told the publication he often made sexually explicit comments about colleagues.
What are the allegations about Ellen DeGeneres being ‘mean’ and why is she getting so much backlash?
Ellen DeGeneres has recently faced backlash after reports emerged that the host is "mean" and "rude" to her staff and guests.
Several people that have either worked with or visited show are coming forward to denounce her sunny image, claiming that behind the scenes, the comedian is a different person.
Current staff echo those sentiments and are reportedly
“Is she always nice? No,” said a former staffer. “It irritates me that people think she’s all sweetness and light and she gets away with it.”
The host was recently the subject of a viral Twitter thread that centered on the , encouraging people to share any personal stories they had to validate the theory.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellen staff claim that they have been cast aside by their famous boss.
He is alleged to have preyed on employees who were younger and lower-level, and therefore did not feel brave enough to lodge a HR complaint.
In a separate interview earlier this month, Ellen they suffered from "racism, fear and intimidation” on set.
One current and 10 former crew members from the daytime series spoke to about the “” but remained anonymous due to fear of retribution.
The outlet said some staff claimed to have been fired because they took medical leave or bereavement days to attend family funerals.
Others alleged they were instructed by their managers to if they saw her at the office.
A black woman, who once worked for Ellen, told the website that she experienced “racist comments, actions, and microaggressions” during her year and a half as an employee.
An earlier this week by the show's parent company WarnerMedia after the .
Once the , Ellen issued an apology letter to her staff.
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She wrote: "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect.
"Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry.”
Executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner released a joint statement to the outlet, claiming they take the stories "very seriously" and admitted they need to "do better."